How to Migrate DNS to AWS Route 53

For the purposes of our discussion we’ll assume you registered your domain name with GoDaddy and now wish to move the DNS to AWS using Route 53. Migrating DNS from GoDaddy in our example to AWS Route 53 involves several steps to ensure a smooth transition while maintaining domain function. Below are the steps you would typically follow, along with the essential DNS records that need to be defined in AWS Route 53. These same steps can be applied when you are migrating from any other hosting DNS service.

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Step 1: Prepare for the Migration

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1. Access Control: You must have administrative access to the GoDaddy account where your domain is registered and where the Name Servers are located and to your AWS account for Route 53 management.

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Step 2: Create a Hosted Zone in AWS Route 53

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1. Login to AWS Management Console: Log in to your AWS account and navigate to the Route 53 console.
2. Create a Hosted Zone: Create a new hosted zone for the domain you're migrating. This establishes a DNS namespace in Route 53.
3. Note Name Servers: Note down the name servers provided by Route 53 for your hosted zone. You'll need to update these in your domain registrar (in this case GoDaddy).

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Step 3: Define DNS Records in Route 53

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1. Access Route 53 Hosted Zone: Go back to the Route 53 console and select your newly created hosted zone.

2. Add Records:

• “A” Record (IPv4 Address Record): Create “A” records for your domain's root (e.g., example.com) and subdomains pointing to appropriate IP addresses. For example:
  • Name: [blank] or "@" (for root domain)
  • Type: A - IPv4 address
  • Value: IP address of your web server
• CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record): Create CNAME records for subdomains that need to point to other domains or services. For example:
  • Name: www
  • Type: CNAME
  • Value: Your target domain or service (e.g., example.com)
• MX Record (Mail Exchanger Record): If you use email services, create MX records to route email traffic. For example:
  • Name: [blank] or "@" (for root domain)
  • Type: MX
  • Value: Your mail server's hostname (e.g., mail.example.com)

3. TXT Record (Text Record): Add TXT records for various purposes such as domain verification or SPF records for email security.

4. Other Records: Depending on your needs, you might also define SRV, AAAA, NS, and other records as necessary. Lookup records here (TBD)

5. Login to GoDaddy Account:

• Access Domain Settings: Navigate to the domain settings for the domain you want to migrate to Route 53.
• Update Name Servers: Replace the GoDaddy name servers with the Route 53 name servers obtained in the previous step.

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Step 5: Test the Migration

• Propagation Check: After making the DNS changes, allow some time for the changes to propagate. You can use online DNS propagation checkers to verify the status. Provide link to online prop checkers(TBD)

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Step 6: Verify and Monitor

• Verify Functionality: Ensure that your website, email, and other services are functioning as expected after the migration.
• Monitor and Adjust: Monitor your DNS settings and performance. Make any necessary adjustments to the records if needed.

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By following these steps and accurately defining the necessary DNS records, you can successfully migrate your DNS management from GoDaddy to AWS Route 53. Remember that DNS changes may take some time to propagate across the internet, so be patient and monitor the migration closely to ensure everything is working as intended.

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Definitions

1. Hosted Zone: A hosted zone is a concept in the Domain Name System (DNS) that represents a collection of DNS records for a specific domain name. It's managed by a DNS service provider and contains information about how domain names should be translated into IP addresses. Each domain name requires a hosted zone to store its DNS records, which control how traffic is directed to various resources associated with that domain.

2. DNS (Domain Name System): The Domain Name System (DNS) is a decentralized system used to translate human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses that computers can understand. It enables users to access websites, send emails, and use other internet services using domain names instead of IP addresses. DNS consists of multiple components, including authoritative DNS servers, resolvers, and DNS records.

3. Domain Registrar: A domain registrar is a company or organization authorized to manage the registration of domain names on behalf of individuals and businesses. When you want to register a new domain name or manage an existing one, you typically interact with a domain registrar. Popular domain registrars include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Google Domains.

4. A Record (IPv4 Address Record): An A record (Address Record) is a DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. "A" record translates the web site name the user enters in the browser into the IP address. It can direct traffic to a specific IP address associated with a web server, mail server, or any other resource. For example, an A record for "www.example.com" might map to the IP address "192.168.1.1".

The sequence is as follows; Top Level Domain→Name Server→Start of Authority→A Record TLD---->NS---->SOA---->"A"---->IPv4

5. AAAA Record (IPv6 Address Record): An AAAA record (Quad-A Record) is similar to an A record but is used to map a domain name to an IPv6 address. IPv6 addresses are the next generation of IP addresses that provide a larger address space to accommodate the growing number of devices connected to the internet. AAAA records allow websites and services to be accessed using IPv6 addresses.

6. CNAME (Canonical Name) Record: A CNAME record is a DNS record used to create an alias for a domain name. It points one domain name to another domain name rather than to an IP address. CNAME records are often used to redirect traffic from one domain to another or to create subdomains that point to a different domain. For example, a CNAME record for "blog.example.com" might point to "www.example.com".

These terms are fundamental to understanding how domain names, DNS, and DNS records work together to enable internet services and online presence. When managing your domain, it's important to have a clear understanding of these concepts to effectively configure and maintain your DNS records and associated services.

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